One Life to Live Commentary

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I didn't like it, so sue me: The worst of OLTL 2013:
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Bigamy; married Victor Lord Jr., in 2009 while married to Ross Rayburn, although she thought she was divorced

Health and Vitals

Fell out of window during argument with Blair Cramer [1997]
Hospitalized after gas explosion at KAD fraternity house [2009]
Diagnosed with inoperable, malignant brain tumor [2010]
Given drugs by Greg Evans to mimic symptoms of brain tumor [2010]
Hospitalized after explosion at warehouse [2010]
Experienced a panic attack [2013]

Brief Character History

Attorney Téa Delgado came to Llanview in 1997 at the request of Carlotta Vega to represent Carlotta's son, Antonio Vega, who had been charged with killing Carlo Hesser. Téa started a relationship with Kevin Buchanan and, after Antonio was cleared of the charges, Téa tried to get a job with district attorney Nora Buchanan. Nora refused to hire her, so to show Nora what a great attorney she was, Téa got Antonio's previous murder conviction overturned. Todd Manning then hired her to defend Alex Olanov, and Téa got Alex off without any jail time. Téa's relationship with Kevin ended when he got together with Cassie, and Téa moved into an apartment with Nora's daughter Rachel Gannon.

Fearing that his ex-wife, Blair Cramer, will win custody of his daughter Starr, Todd offered Téa five million dollars to marry him and be his lawyer in the custody battle. Téa, who never had much money in the past, agreed to the arrangement. Téa got Todd full custody of Starr after Blair was injured and lapsed into a coma. Téa gradually developed feelings for Todd, but Todd pushed her away and into the arms of Andrew Carpenter. Téa asked Todd for a divorce, but Todd refused and convinced her to agree to a four-week trial reconciliation. Todd proposed to Téa and she agreed to marry him, for real this time.

Unfortunately, Todd became a suspect in the murder of Georgie Phillips and held everyone hostage at the Buchanan Lodge to get the murderer to confess. After Rachel confessed to the murder, Todd took off to avoid the police and Téa followed him. Todd grabbed Téa, took her to the garden shed at Llanfair and hit her. Téa turned the tables, knocking Todd out with a shovel, and had him arrested. Téa was determined to be free of Todd and live her own life, but then Todd appeared to have developed split personalities. Téa was torn between her desire to help Todd and not get pulled into the relationship again. In the end, Todd won and they did get married in a very strange ceremony where Todd arose from a coffin. But they didn't even get to their honeymoon, as Starr had found a tape of Todd confessing that he had faked the multiple personalities and unintentionally played it at the wedding reception. Todd quickly left town, leaving Téa behind.

Téa next got involved with John Sykes, but their relationship didn't last very long and soon she started seeing R.J. Gannon. Bad things started happening to R.J. There was a gas leak, a bomb threat and then someone shot him. R.J. was fine, thanks to a bullet proof vest. The guilty party turned out to be Todd, who was jealous of his ex-wife's relationship. Todd had his daughter Starr give Téa a note to meet him in Viki's mountain cabin. Once she was there, Todd convinced her to leave town and run away with him right then. After a few months, Todd returned to Llanview without Téa, explaining that she had left him.

Two years later, Téa returned to town for a brief visit. She visited Todd, and it was evident that Todd was still hurt by her having left him. Todd next ran into Téa in Hawaii. Blair and Sam Rappaport had secretly gone to Hawaii with Manning kids Starr and Jack, but Blair's bodyguards tipped Todd off and he followed them there. Téa warned Blair about Todd's plan to kidnap the kids, allowing Blair and the children to safely return to Llanview. Todd's plan to kidnap his children having gone awry, he ended up shipwrecked on a deserted island with Téa and Ross Rayburn, a man Todd had hired to help him with the kidnapping. Todd and Ross both vied for Téa's affections. After Todd spied Téa kissing Ross, he decided to leave the island alone. As he prepared to depart, Téa showed up and told Todd that she was in love with him and always had been. A wave of emotions came over Todd and he admitted to Téa that he wanted to be with her, too. The two then made love for the first time. Afterwards, however, Téa discovered that Todd still had a picture of Blair and painfully realized that he was still in love with Blair, despite having earlier sworn that he was through with her. Though hurt by this realization, Téa gave her blessing for Todd to romantically reunite with Blair. Desperate to get home to his family, Todd risked his life by getting on a make shift raft and rowing out into sea. He washed up on a beach in Guam, and from there made his way back to Llanview. Téa and Ross were later rescued.

Six years later, in December 2008, Téa returned to Llanview after Todd found himself in jail for keeping Marty captive in his house for the past six months. Todd initially resisted Téa's efforts to help him, saying he deserved to go to jail for what he had done to Marty. But Téa ultimately convinced Todd to let her represent him in court, arguing that if Todd really had changed with Marty's help, then he should fight for his freedom. Téa managed to get the charges related to Marty dropped, successfully arguing that Todd had exercised poor judgment but had not held Marty against her will nor had he raped her. But then Todd faced new charges when Starr told everyone that Todd had planned to steal her baby. Awaiting trial for those charges, Marty lured Todd to the Palace Hotel on New Year's Eve and convinced him to jump from the roof to make it up to her for what he had done. Todd jumped but landed in the river below. John jumped in the water and retrieved Todd, and Blair revived him, much to Marty's disgust.

Todd told Téa not to cross-examine Starr on the stand, so she went to Starr and told her that her father had tried to commit suicide because he was in anguish over his role in her baby's death. Faced with this news, and after getting pressure from her brother Jack not to send their father away to prison, Starr shocked everyone on the stand when she recanted her earlier statements and lied that Todd had never told her he planned to steal her baby. Téa then had Todd publish a front-page story in The Sun revealing the true identity of Janet Ketring, who was in a safehouse waiting to testify against Todd. Janet escaped from the safehouse but ended up dead at Todd's house, stabbed in the heart with a knife from Todd's kitchen. Téa walked into the house and found Todd holding the knife and lying beside the body. Worried that the cops would pin the murder on Todd, Téa told the cops that she had killed Janet in self-defense. Without Janet or Starr's testimony, the charges against Todd were dismissed. But Todd was forced to admit to everyone what he had done to Starr and Marty when Nora threatened to bring up Starr on perjury charges.

Todd's case consumed most of Téa's time since she had returned to Llanview, but in fact Téa had another reason for returning. For the past year, she had been representing Ray Montez in his efforts to get released from a Columbia jail, where he was serving a life sentence for murdering his first wife. Ray maintained his innocence and claimed that his second wife, Vanessa, had killed his wife and had convinced his daughter to testify against him. Ray had escaped from jail in the fall of 2008 and come to Llanview as part of scheme concocted by Clint Buchanan to win back control of Buchanan Enterprises from Dorian Lord, but in the process he ended up getting shot by Vanessa and sent back to Columbia. Vanessa, meanwhile, who had been brought to Llanview by Cristian Vega, found herself at risk of being deported back to Columbia, along with Ray's teenage daughter Lola. Téa, a lifelong friend of the Vegas, subtly convinced Cristian to marry Vanessa so she could stay in the country. Téa, meanwhile, got close to Lola and got her to admit to Téa that she wasn't sure that her father had killed her mother. Lola said Vanessa led her to find the knife that had killed her mother, hidden inside a jewelry box, and convinced her that her father must have planted it there. Téa was getting closer to getting the proof she needed against Vanessa, but Ray got impatient and busted out of the Columbia prison again and made his way to Llanview. He broke into Cristian's loft, knocked Cristian out and cornered Vanessa upstairs. Armed with a knife, Ray threatened to do to her what she had done to his first wife. Cristian came to, however, and a fight ensued between Ray and Cristian. Téa, who had just been told of Ray's escape by authorities, showed up at the loft with Lola just in time. Cristian was shocked to learn Téa had been representing Ray this whole time, but was even more shocked when Vanessa admitted that she had married Ray for his money and had framed Ray for his wife's murder. But Vanessa said she hadn't killed Ray's wife. The authorities arrived and put both Ray and Vanessa in jail. Ray's conviction for murdering his first wife was overturned, and Vanessa was sent back to Columbia. The Vegas, meanwhile, were livid at Téa for using them.

In February 2009, Téa convinced Todd to take her to the Go Red Ball so she could try to get information on Wes Granger, a former Navy SEAL who had a connection to Janet Ketring. Marty had dragged Wes to the ball and proceeded to get drunk and make a scene in front of everyone. The event devolved into a drunken free-for-all, with Todd and Wes exchanging blows and Téa punching Marty after Marty egged her on. Wes held a knife to Todd's throat before officers broke it up. The next morning, everyone was shocked to discover Wes had been stabbed to death, and Marty was arrested on suspicion of killing him, although she was soon released. After having an argument with Blair over the phone about not being able to see his children, Todd went to Dorian's home and found Blair stabbed repeatedly and clinging to life. Dorian, who had found Blair's body moments before Todd walked in, accused Todd of doing the crime. While Todd was being held in jail, Téa showed up and told Todd that she was dropping him as a client because she wasn't sure of his innocence. But the real reason was that Téa was still in love with Todd, and was trying to cut him out of her life. Téa agreed to represent Marty's son Cole, who was facing felony charges for driving while high and paralyzing Matthew Buchanan, although Nora decided to drop the charges. She also went on a date with her old client Ray Montez, but Ray was more interested in Dorian Lord.

After Todd was released from jail, he went to court to get custody of his children because Blair was in the hospital. Dorian hired Téa to represent Blair, and Téa shocked Todd by showing up in court and announcing that the children would be well cared for by their new step-father: John McBain! Although Todd told the judge that the marriage was a sham, the court agreed to give John custody of the children. Todd was livid with Téa, and soon figured out that she was doing all of this because she was still in love with him. Todd said he would give himself to Téa in exchange for her going to court and admitting that Blair and John's marriage was a sham. Téa let Todd believe she would do it, and Todd complied by making love to her. But then Téa turned the tables on Todd and said she would never risk her career by admitting she perpetuated a fraud on the court. Todd was furious at being duped but continued to flirt with Téa, who agreed to go out on a date with RJ Gannon to make Todd jealous. After John was arrested for killing police officer Talia Sahid and stabbing Blair, he escaped from jail and went on the run with Marty. Todd scheduled another court appearance to regain custody of his kids. He distracted Téa by having sex with her in the courtroom and again in her hotel room, and Todd finally managed to win back his children. Todd, Blair and Téa were all at Todd's house when they received invitations to a "spring fling reunion" and promptly collapsed from the laced invitations. They woke up along with Marty at the KAD house, where Powell Lord had reconstructed the room in which Marty was raped in a twisted attempt to make Todd pay for his crimes. When Powell urged one of the women to kill Todd to give even with him for all of his past crimes, Téa said she would do it. But when Téa tried to kill Powell instead, Powell locked her and Blair downstairs in the boiler room and turned on the gas. As Téa and Blair prepared to die, Téa admitted to Blair that Todd was the love of her life, and Blair said Todd was the love of her life too. Téa told Blair that she had been keeping a secret and prepared to tell Blair, so she could do something with it after she was gone, but Téa passed out before she could say anything to Blair. After they were rescued, both women called a brief truce and agreed not to say anything about what they had shared in the boiler room.

After Blair took Todd back to court, however, Téa forced Blair to admit that she had confessed that Todd was the love of her life. Blair turned the tables on Téa and revealed that Téa had said the same thing, and that she was keeping some keep dark secret. Todd was overjoyed to hear that both women loved him and tried to forge a real relationship with Téa. He even invited Téa to stay at his place while he was court-ordered to stay with Blair and the children at La Boulaie. But Blair was jealous of Téa and threw herself at Todd, and the two ended up having sex in the cabana beside Dorian's pool. When Téa walked in and saw them in the act, she became livid and tearfully told Todd that she was out of his life for good. But Todd begged her to forgive him and even invited her to move in with him at Dorian's house, an offer that Téa refused. But Todd was persistent and began to woo Téa with kind gestures, such as organizing a private concert for her on the roof of the Palace Hotel. Téa finally had Todd all to herself, but then an attorney named Elijah Clarke came to town and threatened to expose the secret that Téa had been hiding. The usually unflappable Téa was shaken by Elijah's arrival. Téa knew that Elijah was working for Ross Rayburn, the man she had been marooned on the deserted island with all those years ago, and told Elijah that she refused to give into Ross' blackmail demands and give him what he thinks she took from him.

Téa was caught off guard when Todd proposed marriage to her, saying she needed more time to think it over. What Téa didn't tell Todd was that she couldn't marry him, because she was already married to Ross. Téa phoned Ross, who was in Tahiti, and begged him to grant her a divorce so that she could move on with her life and marry Todd. Little did Téa know that Blair was with Ross, having tracked him down and knew about their marriage. Téa was relieved when Ross agreed to the divorce and quickly signed the papers that were delivered to her by Elijah. As their wedding day approached, Téa struggled to tell Todd the truth about her past marriage so there would be no secrets between them, but Todd told her that the past was behind them. Téa and Todd were married on Sept. 29, 2009. But the next day, Téa arrived at Todd's to discover that Blair had told him about her secret marriage. Todd was furious that Téa didn't confide in him and didn't care to hear Téa's explanation that she thought she was divorced. The next day, Téa showed up at La Boulaie and confronted Blair, who turned the tables on Téa and got her to admit that there was another secret she was keeping: that she had given birth to Todd's child! As Blair went to tell Todd, Téa grabbed her and they got into a struggle, which resulted in Blair toppling out of the second-story window and onto the ground below. Blair's injuries were minor, but she had no memory of what Téa had told her before the fall.

Téa confided in Rachel Gannon the truth about her daughter, Danielle, who was by now 15 years old. Téa said she long believed Danielle was Ross's child and only confirmed that Todd was the father after she and Todd reunited in 2009. Ross had threatened to take Danielle away from her when she asked Ross for a divorce, so she secretly sent Danielle to a boarding school in London. When Blair eventually recalled what Téa had told her, she kept the truth from Todd because she was afraid it would bring Todd and Téa back together. Blair instead told Todd that Téa and Ross were after Todd's money, and Téa went along with the lie after seeing how easily Todd believed it. After Ross discovered Danielle's location, he went to London to get her back but by then Danielle had escaped the school and flied to Seattle with new friend Matthew Buchanan so he could have surgery. Téa and Ross's brother, Elijah, tracked Danielle down in Seattle, but Ross soon appeared and began beating Téa until Todd appeared and saved her. Todd quickly realized that Danielle was his child, but Danielle was too angry at Téa to hear the truth. Ross then kidnapped Danielle at gunpoint and threatened to take her out of the country. In a police standoff at the Canadian border, an armed Ross tried to convince Danielle to jump off a bridge with him. Todd grabbed a gun and shot Ross, who plunged into the icy water below and was presumed dead. Danielle was furious at Téa and Todd and vowed never to forgive Todd for killing her father.

Back in Llanview, Danielle held Todd at gunpoint on New Year's Eve and threatened to shoot him before Blair appeared and talked her out of it. Téa decided to take Dani back to Tahiti and told Todd she could no longer be with him since Dani blamed him for Ross' death. While in Tahiti, Dani and Téa discovered that Ross was actually alive. After learning that Dani had nearly killed Todd, Ross told Dani that Todd was her biological father. Ross encouraged Dani to return to Llanview to get to know Todd, and Dani agreed only after Téa said she wouldn't reveal that Ross was alive and wouldn't press charges against him. After returning to Llanview, Téa told Todd that Dani now knew that Todd was her father. But after Dani learned about all of Todd's crimes she wanted even less to do with Todd than before, which meant Téa and Todd would remain apart. Téa poured herself into work, butting heads with Eli in a custody battle over baby Sierra Rose Morasco. When Téa passed out in the courtroom, Eli took her to the hospital over Téa's protests. Téa was stunned when Dr. Greg Evans informed her that she had a malignant brain tumor and only had months to live. Blair walked in on Téa ransacking Dr. Evans' office and learned the diagnosis after copying Téa's medical file. Téa was angry when Blair told her what she had done, but an unlikely bond soon formed between the two as Blair encouraged Téa to undergo treatments so she could stay alive as long as possible. Téa kept the news from Dani and Todd and instead focused on proving Todd was innocent of pushing Marty down the stairs and causing the death of her unborn child.

Téa got a phone call from Blair warning her that Todd had found out about her condition, just as Todd was barging into her room. Todd was upset at first because Téa didn't confide in him, but he told her he would stand by her no matter what and began taking her to her radiation appointments and helping her any way he could. Dani assumed Todd was getting close to Téa because of his trial and lashed out at them both, but Téa was still reluctant to tell Dani the truth. When Téa was brought to the hospital after collapsing again, Dani happened to be there and Téa was forced to tell Dani the truth. Dani at first was upset but quickly forgave her mother for keeping the news from her. Téa and Todd then got good news that Hannah O'Connor had confessed to pushing Marty down the stairs, meaning Todd's charges were dismissed. Todd then proposed to Téa and she accepted. When they told Blair and Eli the news, Blair and Eli said they were engaged as well. After Todd and Eli got into an argument, with Eli accusing Todd of killing his brother, Téa admitted to Blair and Eli that Ross Rayburn wasn't dead and was living in Tahiti.

Todd and Téa hastily arranged to marry in early August 2010. Dani agreed to serve as Téa's maid of honor, and before the wedding Téa shared with her daughter the details of her past two marriages to Todd. Just before the wedding, Téa accused Todd of being an imposter because he didn't look like the man she had previously married. But Téa eventually remembered that Todd had had plastic surgery, and she blamed the confusion on her worsening condition. Todd and Téa married, but the honeymoon was short-lived. Greg informed Téa that she only had weeks left to live, and he warned her that she was going to lose all her faculties before she died. Téa said she didn't want her family to see her like that, so Greg suggested that she go away to a hospice. Todd and Dani pleaded with Téa to change her mind, but Téa insisted on leaving before her illness got any worse and bid Todd and Dani a final goodbye. She asked Blair to look after Dani once she was gone and had Eli draw up a revised will ensuring that Blair would become Dani's legal guardian if anything happened to Todd before Dani turned 18. She hired Shaun Evans to help evade Todd's private investigators and arrived with Greg at the hospice, on the island of St. Kitts. After Shaun told Téa that he would want to be with his mother until the end if she was dying, Téa reconsidered and asked Greg to bring Todd and Dani to her. But unbeknownst to Téa, Greg was acting on orders from Eli Clarke to keep Téa away from her family until her death. Greg told Téa that Todd and Dani were on their way, and he gave Téa an injection supposedly to help her sleep. The next morning, Todd and Dani arrived to learn from Greg that Téa had died the night before and that her body had already been sent off to be cremated.

After Greg attended Téa's memorial service in Llanview, he drove to a nearby clinic in Cherryvale where he was treating a very-much-alive Téa. While Téa lay unconscious, Greg recalled how Eli had brought Téa into the hospital after she had fainted and Greg had performed tests that showed Téa was healthy. But Eli blackmailed Greg into telling Téa that she was going to die, telling Greg that it was his "destiny" to do as Eli said. Greg gave Téa a drug that mimicked the symptoms of a brain tumor and let Eli believe he had given Téa a lethal dose of morphine. But in reality, Greg had put Téa into a coma and had moved her from St. Kitts to Cherryvale so he could monitor her recovery from the toxic drugs he had been giving her. Greg hoped Téa would be able to forgive him one day, saying he had to protect his family from Eli's threats.

Téa eventually awoke from her coma, believing little time had passed from when she had asked for Todd and Dani to join her. Greg explained that they had come and would be back soon, and that he had moved her to another room. Greg then told Téa that she had miraculously recovered from her brain tumor and was going to be just fine. Téa's joy turned to frustration as Greg disappeared and the nurse wouldn't let her call her family, saying she had been instructed by Greg not to let her use the phone. Téa managed to steal the nurse's cell phone and called Todd, who was stunned to hear his supposedly dead wife on the line and questioned if it was really her. Before Téa could say anything else, the nurse grabbed the phone and wouldn't give it back.

Téa began to realize something wasn't right when the nurse revealed that they were in Cherryvale, right outside Llanview, and not in St. Kitts as Greg had told her. Téa summoned the strength to leave her room and tried to make an escape using the back stairwell. Téa was overjoyed when she ran into Eli in the parking garage, having no clue that Eli was evil. Téa explained that Greg had told her she was in full remission but hadn't allowed her to contact her family. Eli told Téa he would take her back to Llanview. Instead, Eli took Téa to an abandoned warehouse and revealed his evil plot to her when she awoke. Téa was relieved when Dani busted open the door and found her tied up. But before they could escape, Eli returned. Eli took Dani out to exchange her for Blair and make his escape, leaving Téa tied up inside. But Blair snuck into the warehouse and discovered Téa. As they made their way out of the warehouse, Eli set off an explosion and the warehouse went up in flames.

Téa and Blair survived the explosion but were trapped underground. Téa and Blair struggled to find a way out, then Todd and John broke through an adjoining wall and pulled Blair to safety. Blair said it was a miracle and told Todd to brace for another one as he turned to face Téa. Téa and Todd shared a heartfelt reunion and, along with John and Blair, managed to escape the warehouse unharmed. At the hospital, Téa confronted Greg for lying to her and her family. Once home, she took her anger and frustration out on the urn that supposedly held her ashes. Todd told Téa how grateful he was to have her back, and he organized a party to celebrate their wedding and her homecoming.

Téa quickly returned to practicing law when she represented Cole Thornhart, who had killed Elijah Clarke when he thought that Starr and Hope were dead. Téa pleaded for leniency, but the judge sentenced Cole to 10 years at Statesville Prison. After Todd and Téa learned that Nate's father Eddie had made crude remarks to Dani, Todd went to Eddie and threatened his life. After Eddie turned up murdered, the police found one of Todd's cufflinks in his hotel room. Téa covered for Todd, who accused Marty of planting the cufflink to get back at him for having a restraining order issued that kept Marty from seeing Hope. Téa agreed to represent Nate when he was arrested on suspicion of killing Eddie after police found a gun in his mother's apartment and talked to an eyewitness who saw Nate leaving the hotel the night his father was murdered. Téa was about to get the charges dismissed, on the grounds that police didn't have enough evidence to convict, when Nate suddenly admitted he was guilty. Téa suspected that Nate was covering for his mother, believing she was the real murder. On the stand, Téa forced Nate to admit that he had nothing to do with his father's murder. Instead, he had gone to Eddie's hotel room with a bunch of jewelry he had stolen from the Manning home, hoping to frame Eddie for the crime. But when he got there, Eddie was already dead. Nate quickly left the room and returned the jewelry to the Manning's home, all except for one of Todd's cuff links that had accidentally fell out of his bag.

Téa was shocked when she opened the door one day to find her estranged brother, Tomas, standing in front of her. Tomas had left their home in New York when Téa was still a young girl and had barely communicated with the family in the years since. Téa blamed Tomas for abandoning the family, but Tomas said he wanted to reconnect. When Todd found Téa and Tomas together, he jumped to the conclusion that she was cheating on him and Téa had to calm him down. Tomas was shocked at Todd's outburst and told Téa he didn't want her to stay with him, but Téa told Tomas that she was a grown woman and could make her own choices. Téa was shocked when she learned that Tomas had met Blair in Paris and was the artist who had painted a portrait of Blair from a picture he had found in a Paris flea market of Blair and Todd on their wedding day. Téa told Tomas she didn't want him to date Blair because she had gone through a rough year and she didn't want Blair to get hurt.

Dani told Téa that she was thinking about having sex with Nate, and Téa encouraged Dani to wait until she felt the timing was right. On Valentine's Day, Todd walked in on Nate and Dani about to have sex and threatened Nate until Starr and James intervened. Dani and Nate ran off, and Téa chastised Todd for being too harsh on them. Dani called Téa to let her know she was OK and made Téa promise not to say anything to Todd. Téa later admitted she had heard from Dani, angering Todd. Téa got a panicked call from Inez, who had been forced to tell Todd where the kids were hiding out, and raced to Viki's cabin to intervene. Todd threatened the kids with a cap gun that turned out to be a fake, and then he forbid Dani from seeing Nate again and even threatened to send her back to the London boarding school. After the kids left, Téa tied Todd up and forced him to admit that he was wrong to threaten the kids and said that Dani would be grounded for running away.

Téa was horrified when she learned that Todd had been shot by a sniper outside Rodi's. Todd went into a deep coma, and Téa clung to the hope that her husband would return. Téa learned that John believed Tomas may have been involved in Todd's shooting and told John that the idea was preposterous. But at home, she snooped in Tomas' room and found an envelope under his bed containing old photos and news clippings of Todd with his pre-surgery face. Tomas explained that he had researched Todd and subtly questioned if Téa was sure that the man who returned with a new face in 2003 was really Todd, a notion that Téa quickly dismissed. Dani told Téa that she and Nate had found Tomas in Todd's room and later discovered a syringe on the floor that wasn't issued by the hospital. Téa couldn't believe that Tomas was out to hurt Todd. But when Todd emerged from his coma, he told Téa that he had seen Tomas in the window of the building where the shots came from. When Tomas' fingerprints were found on the syringe, he was arrested.

Téa demanded to know the truth when John revealed that the CIA had an encrypted CIA file on Tomas, but Tomas evaded her questions. Téa was suspicious when Todd changed his story and claimed he didn't see Tomas at the scene of his shooting. Téa and Todd had a bitter argument after Todd paid off the father of one of Jack's friends to take the rap for an incident that resulted in Gigi Morasco's death. Blair told Téa that Sam claimed to have a friend who looked exactly like Todd prior to the plastic surgery, and the two women didn't know what to believe. Téa pressured Tomas for answers, and Tomas revealed that he had been a CIA agent but had quit when he got involved with the wrong people. Tomas told Téa that Todd had gotten involved with something dangerous but refused to say more. He admitted that he was in the building when Todd got shot but claimed that he had tried to stop the shooter and gotten grazed by a bullet in the process.

At a gala movie premiere, Tomas claimed that Todd was an imposter and a man with Todd's original face walked in, claiming to be the real Todd Manning. Téa was shaken by the appearance of the other man and seemed unsure whether the man she married was really Todd. Téa questioned the man with Todd's original face and was startled that he was able to recall private memories from their past. Téa demanded to know whether Todd was an imposter and demanded that Todd tell her everything. Todd told Téa that he had gotten involved with a CIA agent named Baker several years earlier when Baker approached him about funneling money through the Sun in exchange for business opportunities. When Todd realized that Baker was a rogue agent whose activities weren't sanctioned by the government, he tried to get out of the deal. Baker sent someone to kill him, but Tomas - a former CIA agent who also worked for Baker - found out about the plan to kill Todd and saved his life. Téa thanked Todd for opening up to him, but she still wondered how the man with Todd's original face could also have all of Todd's memories. John gathered the family to reveal the results of DNA tests performed on both men and stunned everyone by revealing that both men were Todd Manning.

While both men waited for results from a second test, the police discovered that Todd's believed dead mother, Irene Manning, actually was alive. They brought Irene back to Llanview, where she revealed that both men were twins and that the man who had lived for the past eight years as Todd was actually Todd's twin brother, Victor Lord Jr. Victor didn't want to believe it, and at first even lied to Téa and the children that he was the real Todd. But Téa reminded everyone that Victor really believed he was Todd, and the kids agreed that the time they had spent with him believing he was their father couldn't be erased. Victor had no memories of his former self before Irene transformed him into Todd, and he struggled to carve out his own identity. Téa assured him that he was the man she had fallen in love with and married, and the two shared an intimate night together.

Victor told Todd that he would have to take him to court to win back his newspaper and everything else. Téa urged Victor to take the high road, but he refused. Then one night, Blair called Téa to warn her that the gun was missing from Dorian's safe and Todd may be out for revenge. Téa rushed home to find Victor bleeding profusely and barely alive. Téa pleaded with Victor not to leave her and struggled to keep him alive. She asked Victor who had shot him and Victor began to pronounce a word beginning with the letter T before losing consciousness. The paramedics arrived and briefly tried to resuscitate Victor but they were too late. They pronounced Victor dead, as a horrified Téa struggled to process what had just happened. Téa accused Todd of killing Victor but he denied it and even asked Téa to represent him. Téa came to believe that Todd was innocent and got the charges dismissed against Todd. When the police investigation hit a dead end, Tomas told his sister that he would find out who killed Victor. When Todd shot and killed his mother, believing she had just blown up his family, Tomas took the rap for the murder so Todd could escape. Téa worked with Todd to solve Victor's murder and pointed the suspicion at Rex, but the police cleared him and his son Shane of any involvement in the killing. Todd confessed to killing Irene to keep Tomas from going to jail, and Téa managed to get him released on probation.

Téa was stunned when she realized she was pregnant with Victor's child. Soon after telling her brother the good news, Tomas vanished while searching for clues about Victor's death. The police found a gun taped to the back of a dresser drawer in Tomas' room and confirmed it as the gun used to kill Victor. It also was the gun Todd had stolen from Dorian Lord's safe, leading Téa to question how Tomas got his hands on the gun. Téa worked with John McBain to clear Tomas and the two came to believe that Todd was in fact the guilty party. After Tomas confessed during a web chat with Blair, Téa and John tricked Tomas' friend Claude into revealing that Tomas was being held against his will. Téa struggled to stay quiet, since John was convinced that Blair would tip Todd off since she and Todd were getting closer. John stole Todd's phone and planted a bug that led him to Tomas. As Tomas and Téa reunited, John promptly arrested Todd for the murder of his brother - unaware that Victor Jr. was very much alive and being held captive by Allison Perkins.

Nearing delivery of her baby, Téa traveled to Port Charles, New York, in May 2012 after learning that Starr Manning had been arrested and charged with attempted murder for holding a gun on Sonny Corinthos, the mob boss who had been acquitted of causing the car accident that killed Cole Thornhart and Hope Manning several months earlier. Téa got into an immediate argument with Todd, who himself had been found not guilty by reason of insanity for murdering Victor Jr. and had traveled to Port Charles to be with Starr. Téa planned an aggressive defense for Starr by discrediting the key prosecution witness, Sonny's son Michael, but Starr had grown close to Michael and made Téa promise not to go after him, even though Michael was the one who had Starr arrested. Another strategy opened, however, when Todd informed Téa that the accident actually had been caused by Sonny's girlfriend Kate, who was under the influence of an alternate personality named Connie. Todd had overheard Kate's confession to her attorney and planned to blackmail Sonny into dropping the charges against Starr in exchange for keeping quiet about Kate's crime.

Téa checked in on John McBain, who had also come to Port Charles to investigate Sonny, and ran into fellow mother-to-be Sam McCall. Téa saw an immediate connection between John and Sam and questioned where Natalie and Liam fit into the picture. John assured Téa that he and Sam were just friends and that he would be returning to Llanview once his work in Port Charles was done. Téa also planned to return to home but she went into labor during a storm while she was still in Port Charles. Todd found her and tried to transport her to the hospital but was unable to do so due to the storm. She was forced to give birth at a bus stop with only Todd present.

Téa delivered a son whom she named Victor in honor of her late husband and the child's father. She and Todd were immediately concerned when the baby was silent and Téa begged Todd to take her son and find medical help for him. After Téa recovered from giving birth she found Todd holding a baby boy and she was relieved to discover that he was breathing. Téa and the baby made their way to General Hospital and she was surprised to learn that her son had a genetic condition called beta thalassemia. Regardless, Téa thanked Todd for saving her son's life and he explained that a woman had performed infant CPR on the child.

Téa returned to Llanview with the baby and a few months later she received an unexpected visit from the woman that had saved Victor's life. She introduced herself as Susan Moore and Téa hired her to be Victor's nanny, unaware that the woman was actually an escaped psychiatric patient named Heather Webber. Heather kidnapped the child and planned to raise him as her own son.

The baby was rescued and Téa was anxious to be reunited with her son but instead the child was allowed to remain with Jason and Sam Morgan, the couple that had performed the rescue. Todd and John explained that Victor would not be given back to her because he was not her son. Her child had died at birth but someone had switched Sam's life son with Téa's deceased child. Téa was distraught over the news and warned Todd that if he had anything to do with the baby switch she would make him pay.

In November 2012, Téa planned to welcome Blair as her sister-in-law as Blair planned to marry Tomas. But then Todd showed up in Llanview with two women, Carly Jacks and Skye Quartermaine, both of whom told Blair and Téa that Tomas was the spitting image of a believed dead man they had been involved with named Lorenzo Alcazar. Blair and Téa were incredulous, believing that this was another one of Todd's schemes to destroy Blair's happiness. Blair reached Tomas by phone and asked him to stop by Téa's house, but Skye snatched the phone out of Blair's hand and screamed out the name Lorenzo. Tomas later texted Blair that he was on the way, but a CIA agent showed up at the door instead. He explained that Tomas had been recalled to the CIA for a sensitive mission and would not be returning and would not be able to marry Blair. The CIA agent refused to answer any questions. Blair, Skye and Téa decided to work together to find their answers and set out to find Tomas.

Téa returned to Llanview without Tomas and continued to grieve for her deceased child. Meanwhile her daughter Dani starting drinking heavily and experimented with drugs. Téa was lost in her grief and missed the signs that Dani was in trouble. She was forced to acknowledge her absence in Dani's life after Dani overdosed on oxycodone and was hospitalized. Todd accused Téa of poor parenting and she acknowledged that was partially true but it was all Todd's fault. Téa reminded Todd that he had killed her husband and allowed her to bond with a child that was not hers.

Both Todd and Téa were shocked when Victor arrived at the hospital to visit Dani. Téa was overjoyed to learn that her husband was alive but immediately noticed changes in him, including a mysterious tattoo. He was reluctant to speak about where he had been or what he had been through but did explain that he had been held captive and that people were still after him. Victor left Téa and their family almost immediately after his visit. He did not tell Téa where he was headed, but said that he had to leave and stay away in order to keep everyone safe.

After Victor's return and subsequent disappearance, Téa was forced to consider that Victor might have changed after the police confirmed that he had tried to poison Todd and had evidence which linked him to a murder. Téa feared for Dani and Blair's children after Todd found a hit list which included the members of their families. At the same time, Téa learned that the oxycodone Dani had ingested had been intentionally tampered with and Téa was forced to work with Todd and Blair. Todd explained that everyone was in danger until he completed his task, which was to kill Victor. Téa refused to help Todd kill her husband but she did agree to fake his death. The plan was rendered moot after Todd received notification that Victor had been captured. Todd left town to search for Victor while Téa and Blair helped each other cope with the absence of Victor and Todd.

Téa received an unwelcome distraction from her concern over Victor when she learned of Dani's association with an older man named Arturo Bandini. Arturo had previously been involved with a young woman and he had plied her with expensive gifts and paid for her to live at the Palace Hotel. The woman had been murdered and Téa did not want Dani involved with Arturo. Dani ignored her mother's concerns and continued to spend time with him.